Saddle locking device



. May 29, 1951 J. M. WALTER 2,555,259

SADDLE LOCKING DEVICE v Filed Nov. 29, 194e 2 Sheets-Sheet l AT T0 R N EYS.

May 29, 1951 J. M. WALTER 2,555,259

SADDLE LOCKING DEVICE Filed Nov. 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WINVENTOR. oH/v ALTER,

Walle/wv Quim,

Patented May 29, 1951 NT OFFICE SADDLE LOCKING DEVICE John M. Walter, Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to The G. A. Gray Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 29, 1946, Serial No. 712,938

3 Claims. (Cl. 90-37) l My invention relates to devices for locking the` saddle on the cross rail of a planer or the like, quickly and accurately at a selected position.

The art has provided means under control of the operator for retaining the saddle on planer l. cross rails at a selected position, but these de` vices have consisted essentially in screws which bore on the saddle gib, and hence clamped in a localized varea only and were not secure.

The objective of my present improvements is` p to utilize a cross rail gib for the purpose of locking the saddle on which the gib is located. One

important object of the invention is to provide for a quick operation or the gib to move it from normal adjusted position to a position of clamping the saddle. Another, is to provide for a direct vertical movement of the clamping element per se, by using in addition to the gib, a bearing plate between the gib and the cross rail, said plate being held against lengthwise movement with reference to the saddle. Hence the quick injection of the gib into clamping position will not tend to shift the saddle from the selected position in which it is desired to lock it.

I will describe my invention by reference to a particular structure but it will be understood that for quickly moving a tapered gib for the saddle to clamping position there is a considerable possible deviation in precise mechanism. In the claims that follow and to whi-ch reference is here made, the invention illustrated by the example, will be set forth.

In the drawings:

1Figure l is a detail iront elevation of the saddle, cross rail and gib arrangement.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure l.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5 5 of Figure l.

Figure 6 is a detail section on the line 5-6 of Figure fl.

Figure 7 is a perspective of the gib bearing plate.

The cross rail of a planer is indicated at I, and the saddle Vat 2. The upper end 3 of the saddle overlies the top of the rail and is provided with a depending plate Il bolted thereto by bolts or screws ed, and depending on the opposite side oi the top rail from the front oi the saddle. This member i has a tapered block 5 which actually engages the rail and is held ladjustably in place against the tapered inner face of the plate Il by means of bolts 6.

The under surface of the portion 3 of the saddle is surfaced on a taper. A gib l is provided which has its top surface on a taper to engage the taper on the saddle. A space between the lower surface of the gib and the top of the cross rail is taken up by a bearing piece 8 of uniform thickness which directly bears on the top of the rail.

In order to mount the bearing piece 8 so that it can move vertically but not lengthwise of the saddle, the piece is provided with ears 9 (Fig. 6), which project rearwardly and through which pass two vor more of the bolts 6. The ears can slide vertically of the bolts and there is a space between the ears and the tapered block 5 which gives the bearing piece an opportunity to move vertically. Endwise motion of the bearing piece 8 is also prevented by means of end plates I0 and Illa. t

It is apparent that other mechanical means could be provided to secure the bearing piece 8 so as to have no lengthwise movement with respect to the saddle and a limited vertical movement. The arrangement is directed to the end that when the gib is inserted and adjusted, it will move the bearing piece 8 down against the rail, and there will be no thrust on the saddle in so doing, a factor which is of particular importance in connection with the quick locking effect.

To hold the gib in place it is provided with a pair of upstanding ears II, preferably connected together at the rear so as to appear U-shaped in plan view (Fig. 3). A stud i2 set into the portion 3 of the saddle passes through the ears at the rear, and is equipped with a nut I2a which is used to adjust the gib inwardly of the space between the saddle portion 3 and the bearing piece, for normal operation of the saddle. The threads for nut I2a will be of short pitch length to permit accurate adjustment. There is another stud I3 set into the portion 3 of the saddle, said stud having a thread of substantial pitch, This stud passes through holes in the forward portions of the ears Il, which :are slidable with respect to the stud as are the ears at the rear on the stud I2. A nut I3a is placed over the stud I 3, between the two ears I`I. A partial revolution of this nut will cause the gib to move a substantial distance.

One way of operating the nut is to provide it with holes I4 into which may be inserted la pin to provide an operating handle.

As so constructed the gib is adjusted for normal position by the nut on the stud I2. When it is desired to lock the saddle at some selected position, the operator inserts a pin in one of the holes in the periphery of the nut |3a, and gives the nut a partial turn. This will cause the nut, which is snugly between the two ears Il on the gib to push the gib into a position which clamps the bearing piece down Iirmly against the top of the rail all along its length. This movement has no reaction against the rail such as might cause the saddle to move slightly along the rail, as would be the case if the gib itself bore on the top face of the rail.

When it is desired to unlock the saddle the nut I3 is turned reversely to back the gib against the nut l2 and the gib will then be set into its proper position for retaining the saddle on the cross rail.

It will be noted that other modes of using the long pitch thread for the clamping movement of the gib, or other mechanical devices for displacing the gib with reference to its normal setting will be practical for use in place of the precise mechanism illustrated and described. It will be desirable, however, not to interfere with the regular gib setting in order to advance the gib to saddle locking position without due precaution to make it imperative after releasing the gib to bring it back to its regular position.

The device will be desirable wherever a saddle is being moved along a rail, such as for example, where a saddle like member is moved up and down on a vertical rail, as in the case of side heads in planers.

The present invention is an improvement over the structure shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,485,016 to Cardullo et al., granted February 26, 1924.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

l. In combination with the saddle of a planer, a combined gib and clamping device comprising a tapered gib, said gib having ears thereon eX- ternal to the saddle, a stud having a long pitch thread thereon and passing through said ears, a nut mounted between the ears and conforming to said long pitch, and a second stud on the-saddle passing through said ears and having a nut on the end thereof, the stud and nut last noted having a short pitch length thread, and a bearing plate of uniform cross section mounted between the gib and the planer rail on which it moves, Said plate secured to the saddle against endwise movement but so as to permit limited vertical movement.

2. The combination with a rail and a saddle thereon, of a bearing plate mounted on the saddle and engaging the rail, said bearing plate having means for securing the plate against endwise movement with respect to the saddle but free for limited lateral movement with reference to the saddle, a tapered gib between the saddle and the bearing plate, means for setting the gib for normal adjustment of the saddle to the rail, and means for imparting a lengthwise movement to the gib to clamp the bearing plate to the rail without interfering with the setting of the rst noted means, the said last noted means embodying a member engaging the gib and provided with a spiral engagement with reference to the saddle, said spiral engagement being on a long pitch, whereby a partial rotation thereof Will thrust the gib a distance suicient to clamp.

3. The combination with a rail and a saddle thereon, of a bearing plate mounted on the saddle and resting on the rail., said bearing plate having means for securing the plate against endwise movement with respect to the saddle but mounted so as to have limited lateral movement, a tapered gib located between the saddle and said bearing plate, means on the saddle to adjust the gib lengthwise in short increments of movement, and additional means independent of the rst noted means to move the gib in long increments of movement, the said last noted means comprising a nut mounted on a thread of long pitch formed on a member secured to the saddle, said nut engaging the gib in both directions, the parts so arranged that a partial rotation of the nut will move the gib into clamping relation in one direction, and a reverse rotation of the nut will bring the gib back under the setting of the short increment moving means.

JOHN M. WALTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 351,127 Robinson Oct. 19, 1886 1,365,009 Sears Jan. 12, 1921 1,383,981 Catlin July 5, 1921 1,485,016 Cardullo et al Feb. 26, 1924 2,449,327 Schlitters Sept. 14, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 593,405 Germany Feb. 26, 1934 

